Electrical train signaling device



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. E. YOUNG & E. SfNORTON. BLEGI'RIGAL TRAIN SIGNALING DEVICE.

No. 567,211. Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

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Q Q J. E. YOUNG & E. S. NORTON.

ELECTRICAL TRAIN SIGNALING DEVICE.

No. 567,211. Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

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'' 6 r fwimd/lwfi (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. I J. E. YOUNG 81; B. s. NORTON. ELECTRICAL TRAIN SIGNALING DEVICE.

No. 567,211 I Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

TO BHTTA'R) T0 GROUND I Zia 12755555 1272/5222025- d/rvfici I'UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE.

JONATHAN E. YOUNG AND ELISHA STRONG NORTON, OF CON NEAUT, OHIO.

ELECTRICAL TRAIN SIGNALING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,211, dated September 8, 1896. Application filed May 11, 1896. Serial No. 591,034. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JONATHAN E. YoUNe and ELISHA STRONG NORTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Oonneaut, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Train Signaling Devices; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' Our invention relates to an automatic train signaling apparatus by means of which the engineer or conductor or both will be instantly informed when something has happened to the train which should be immediately investigated.

In the embodiment of the invention which is shown in the drawings and hereinafter described in detail the signal will be given when the train breaks in two or when any cock in the air-brake pipes has been tampered with and turned so as to prevent the proper action of the air-brakes or when any of the freightcar doors have been opened. A signalingswitch is'also shown, whereby the conductor may signal to the engineer. The apparatus may, however, be arranged to operate when other things happen to the train or not to 0perate when some of the things mentioned do happen.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a train'equipped with our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of a car and the different parts of our apparatus carried thereby. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the open-circuit signaling-bell and the apparatus .for closing the circuit thereof. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 5 is an endsectional view online 5 5 of-Fig. 3.

In the cab b of the engine B or in the caboose or in both places a magneto-bell A is secured. Thisbell'is connected in a normally open electric circuit supplied by battery H, which circuit contains the contactthe piece a. The relative positions of the said contact-pieces are controlled by a lever 01 or other equivalent device. In the con struction shown the lever when released presses the spring a against the piece a; but the spring a might be held away from the piece a by the lever and might be arranged to move automatically into contact with saidpiece when released'by said lever.

The armature d of an electromagnet D is connected with the lever 01, and when said magnet D is energized and attracts its armature the lever is held in such position that it doesnot force the spring a against the piece a; butwhen the circuit of said magnet is broken the said lever, either by its own Weight or by the spring (Z is moved so as to press the spring a against the piece a, and said bell sounds an alarm.

The circuit of the magnet D may be sup,-

1 plied'by the battery H or any other battery.

The circuit extends throughout the entire train or so much thereof as is equipped with the conductor Wires. The circuit is a grounded circuit,-as shown, one terminal of the circuit of magnet D being connectedwith some metal part of the engine, from which it passes through the wheels to the track. The rear end of the circuit is likewise connected The conductor-wires E pass through the airbrake pipes G. The said wires are insulated, but are connected with contact-pieces 6, (also insulated,) which may be embedded in the rubber rings 9 which are at the ends of the metallic couplings g on the ends of the flexible pipes g, by means of which the brakeon opposite sides of the center are two metal plates f, which are connected by an insulated With the track through the trucks and Wheels I I on the rear car.

wire f When the cock is in the proper position for the air-brakes to set, the springs e c bear against said metal plates, thereby closing the break in the circuit at this point; but when the cock has been turned into an improper position, then the said springs e e bear against the facing f of insulating material which is set into said cocks, thereby breaking the circuit.

The hook J upon which the flexible end of the brake-pipe on the last car is suspended is connected electrically with the metallic truck of the car, and thus through the wheels with the track. The hook, so called,is con structed in the form of a very short section of pipe closed at its inner end, but having on its outer end a coupling-piece like the coupling-pieces on the ends of the flexible pipes. When the flexible pipe-section is hung upon said hook, the endof said pipe-section is closed thereby so that the escape of air from the air-brake pipe at this point is prevented. One of these hooks thus constructed and connected is placed on each end of every car, wherefore thecircuit maybe grounded at the end of the train, whatever car chances to be the end car.

Many freight-cars have been opened and robbed after the train was made up, both while at rest and in motion, and in order that the engineer or conductor shall be notified when any car-door is opened for this or any purpose the ends of the conductor-wires E are carried out of the air-brake pipe through suitably-plugged openings, and are connected with two metallic piecesK K, set into the doorwhich, when the door is closed, touches said plates K K and closes the break in the circuit at this point.

Of course the specific construction of the devices whereby the several breaks in the circuit of the magnet D are closed when the train is. made up may be varied as much as desired without departing from the invention.

When the train is made up, the car-doors all closed, the brake-pipes all coupled toto the proper position, the circuit of the magnet D is continuous from one end of the train to the other, or so far as the train is made up of cars equipped with the invention. The

circuit is grounded (that is, connected with the track) at the engine and at the rear car. The magnet D therefore acts to hold the lever 01 in such position that the circuit of the bellis not closed thereby; but when the circuit of the magnet D is. broken anywhere, either by the train breaking apart or by the uncoupling of 'the brake-pipes by the turning of any of the cooks thereon or by the opening of any car-door, the lever cl is immediately released, and it acts, as hereinbefore described, to force the spring a into contact with the piece a. The circuit of the alarm-bell is closed and it rings its signal, which carries to the engineer (or conductor, or both) the information that something has happened to the train which should be immediately investigated.

The described apparatus may also be adapt ed for conveying to the engineer the signals from the conductor, which are now usually transmitted by the air-whistle, wherefore the expensive mechanism with which each passenger-car is now equipped for operating this air-whistle may be dispensed with and a very much simpler and cheaper device be substituted therefor. This result is accomplished by breaking, at a convenient point in the car, the conductor-wires which have been carried out of the air-brake pipe and closing said break by a push-button switch, or other form of switch, which under normal conditions remains closed. WVhen operated by the conductor to transmit the signal, this switch is opened, thereby breaking the signaling-circuit and producing the same result, heretofore described, which occurs when the train breaks apart or any of the other things happen which have been heretofore mentioned. Having described our invention, we claim- 1. In a train signaling apparatus, the combination of an electrical signaling device at one end of the train, the insulated conductor- ;wires inclosed within the air-pipes extending from car to car, and separated at every airicock in the air-pipes, with the air-pipes, the fair-cocks therein, and switches, operated by I said air-cocks and wholly inclosed within said air-pipes, for closing the breaks in said conductor-wires, substantially as and for the puripose specified.

frame, and on the door is a metallic plate K, 1

2. In a train signaling apparatus, the coinbination of an electric signal, in a normally open circuit, an automatic device for closing 1 said circuit, an electromagnet, preventing the action of said device, connected in a circuit extending from one end of a train to the other i end, having a single conductor-wire which is inclosed in, but insulated from, the air-pipes and is broken at everyair-cock in-said pipes, with the air-pipes, the air-cocks therein, and switches inclosed within the air-pipes and opgetheiyand the cooks in said pipes all turned erated by said air-cocks for closing the breaks in said conductor vire, the said circuit being connected at its terminals with the metal parts of the running-gear whereby the circuit is grounded, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a railway-train, the air-brake pipes of the several cars having flexible ends, the conductor-wires of a continuous electrical circuit contained in said air-brake pipes, and connected with the me- 7 Circuit, two separable contact-pieces in said ductor-wire passing-through each air-brake pipe and connected at its ends with the metallic couplings on the ends of said air-brake pipes, said wires being broken at the cooks in said air-brake pipe, the said cocks having insulating-strips, whereby the ends of said wires may be electrically connected or disconnected by the said cooks, the said Wires being extended out of said pipes and broken, contactthe circuit formed by said Wires being conpieces on the car-doors and their frames for electrically connecting the said broken wires,

5 nected at opposite ends thereof with the ground'through the metal part of the running-gear, a magneto-bell connected in a normally open circuit, a device for controlling the relative position of said contact-pieces, an electromagnet connected in the train-circuit, and its armature which is connected with said controlling device, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

JONATHAN E. YOUNG.

. ELISHA STRONG NORTON. Witnesses to the signature of Jonathan E. Young:

E. L. THURSTON, H. M. HUTGHISON. Witnesses to the signature of Elisha S. Norton:

G. J. KELLY, OSCAR O. TURNER. 

